I'm NOT A Monster!
by Love Vigilantes
Summary: Rosalie Hale has the perfect life-great grades,loving boyfriend,popular.But one night changes all that- She's raped.All the evidence points towards Edward Masen.How can he prove he's not guilty & prove to Rose's cousin, Bella, that he's a good guy?AH EXB
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer :- I do not own Twilight.**

**WARNING - BRIEF rape scene.**

**Full Summary :- All Human. Rosalie Hale has got everything - popularity, looks, brains. Then one night it all changes… She gets beaten and raped. The police are determined to find out who could hurt poor, lovable Rose. After a series of clues, it all points to the one person - Edward Masen. How can Edward convince everyone that he didn't do it when everyone believes he did? Add to the mix Rose's cousin, Bella, comes to town and instantly hates the guy who supposedly raped her best friend and cousin whereas Edward finds himself in love for her. Will Edward be able to show everyone - and especially Bella - that he's really a good guy before it's too late?**

_That night he caged her.  
Bruised and broke her.  
He struggled closer.  
Then he stole her.  
Violet wrists and then her ankles.  
Silent Pain.  
Then he slowly saw their nightmares were his dreams.  
**Meg & Dia - Monster  
**_

**I'm NOT A Monster!  
Prologue  
RPOV**

That fateful night. I will never forget it, for as long as I live. I was meeting some friends to see a film that was just released in Port Angeles. It was Winter at the time so the days were shorter, the darkness longer. It was only half past seven but the sky made it look more like it ten or eleven.

That's when it happened.

I was running late so I took a short cut I knew. I rushed into an alleyway that would lead to my desired path. It was empty, but I wasn't scared. I never scared easily then. I was stupid.

One second I was alone and then suddenly I wasn't. I turned to look behind me; there was a hooded guy there. I couldn't see his face. He had gloves on, I remember. He wasn't wearing anything too conspicuous. He was quite tall, I think.

I quickened my pace and looked past the hooded figure. I wasn't frightened, at least not yet. I just thought he was some gangster who thought he was tougher than he really was.

Alice and I had just had a sleepover and we had been watching a few horror movies. Maybe that was what was making me nervous in this deserted alleyway with a hooded stranger. I'm just not the sort of girl that scares easily.

I kept on walking briskly until I heard my name called. I stopped. I turned.

It was that boy again. Stupid hood.

" Do I know you?" I asked sharply, not wanting to play games with the likes of him.

" Not really, at least not yet," I could hear the smirk in his voice though I couldn't see it.

He touched my arm. I flinched away. Now I was getting annoyed. Who the hell did he think he was? "What do you mean?" I asked loudly.

He didn't answer and this time he forcibly wrapped his hand around my arm and held it tight. He pulled me towards him and slapped me hard with his spare hand. My head reeled and I stepped back from the force of it. Before I even had time to think he put his hand over my mouth and dragged me towards an abandoned shed. If you could even call it that. I was dizzy. I was shocked. By the time it had registered in my head what he had just did, I fought to release his grasp on me. I kicked, I punched. I even bit him. Trying to get away.

He was hurting me, kicking me, beating me.

I was scared. I was hurt. Why was this happening to me? What had I done to him?

And then he banged my head against the wall. I felt warm blood emerge from my head. I blacked out for a moment. Then, I was terrified.

He was whispering foul, crude words to me. He was going to rape me and then he would kill me. I had never been as terrified as I was that moment. _Why did this have to happen to me? _This only happened in the movies or to **other **girls. Girls who lived in the big cities like Seattle, girls who weren't **me**. I was what you would call the Queen Bee of Forks, the Alpha female. I was the most beautiful girl, everyone loved me, even other people's parents loved me! All the girls envied me. I was Emmett's girlfriend. Their parents would always say 'Why can't you be more like Rosalie Hale?'. I had - to put it simply - everything.

Not once did I see his face, I could only hear his voice. It was pitch black in here. I couldn't see a thing. There was a very small window and it was a full moon. For one second, I could see his outline. He had his hood down. I still couldn't see his face but I could see that his hair was messy.

I was sobbing now. He was ripping off my clothes. I tried to scream but he still had a hand over my mouth.

" Remember that time a couple of years back when you and your friends thought it would be hilarious to frame Mr. Weston to make it look like he was getting together with Jamie Adams. Do you remember feeling so bad when he was fired and arrested?" he snarled at me. He sounded so angry, I knew he was furious enough to kill me and that terrified me.

'_How did he know about that?'_ I thought, panicked. No one knew about that except the 10 of us. We had all solemnly sworn that we would **never** tell anyone what had come to pass.

He found my mouth with his own and thrust his filthy tongue in while he finished clawing at my underwear. I could feel him on top of me, his excitement was obvious. And then he was in me.

I was in absolute torture. It hurt so bad. I screamed so loud that I was surprised that people couldn't hear me from China, even with his hand/mouth (it varied) on my mouth. Once he was finished, he hit me again. I blacked out after that.

I was going to die. I knew it but by now I welcomed it. I wouldn't feel any pain anymore then. I wasn't ready to die, I wanted to live but I was in so much pain that I forgot that I wanted to live.

_Goodbye Emmett. Goodbye to my best friend, Alice. Goodbye to my favourite cousin - and my other best friend - Bella. Goodbye to my parents. Goodbye to my car. Goodbye to all my other friends. Goodbye to my school. Goodbye to everyone. Goodbye to everything. I love you all. _

**E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.**

I was between worlds now - half-conscious of my surroundings. That _**thing **_was long gone now.

I could hear shouting distantly. They were yelling my name. I could hear the panic there in their voices, they sounded familiar. I could hear someone sobbing. I was cradled into someone's chest, in their arms. I wanted to tell them I was alright, I wanted to be able to hug them.

I wanted to live. I wanted to hug my friends. I wanted to cuddle up to my twin brother. I wanted to cry. I wanted to kiss Emmett one last time. I wanted to grow up and get married, hopefully to Emmett. Have kids. Become a top car mechanic. I wanted to have grandchildren. I wanted to live a long life, this night a distant memory. I wanted to die an old, old woman warm in her bed cuddled up to her husband.

I didn't want to die here. Not now.

* * *

**Should I continue? Good, bad? Don't worry, it will get much better (I hope) as it goes on. Please review! I know it's really short but it is a prologue but they will get way longer. I'm really into this story atm so I'm hoping that you think I should continue this story as well lol**

**This is a way different story from my other ones but I really like it, so far. lol For readers of my other stories, sorry updates are so slow - I'm just finding it very difficult to update. The words aren't coming and I can't stop thinking of this story so I decided to write this. I'm just over half way through in TBYNH and I have started the next chapter of AVOL but I want to research some stuff before writing anymore. I want to keep AVOL as realistic as possible but I'm sure it won't be, even if I spend hours trying to research it lol.**

**Love,  
Smile! Edward Luvs Yhoo ; ) ('cause he does!)  
xXx**


	2. Chapter One : He Knew Me

**Disclaimer :- I do not own Twilight. **

_I don't wanna sleep  
I don't wanna dream  
'cause my dreams don't comfort me  
The way you make me feel  
Waking up to you never felt so real  
__**Skillet - Comatose**_

**I'm Not A Monster  
****Chapter 1  
****BPOV**

" See you tomorrow," I said to my friends as I got out of the car. It was after school and it was Rachel's turn to drive the four of us home.

" Bye," Katie said as she ruffled in her bag for something. "Oh, here." She gave me a flier. It was advertising a disco going on this weekend. "You have to come with us to this. Embry and Quil wouldn't get over it and how _Bella _has _to be there_ . I told them that you would come to shut them up!"

I made a face. "Do I have to go?"

" Yes," Rachel said seriously. "Come to my house tomorrow night at 5 for us to get you ready then you can stay the night when we get back!"

" Yeah, if we appear without you in tow, I don't even want to think about the disappointed faces the boys will have on their faces all night!" Willow rolled her eyes.

" Correction - only two guys and they're little!"

" Ohhoo!" Rachel laughed crudely.

" They're fourteen, not four," Katie giggled.

" Well, they're little when they're trying to pull a seventeen year old!"

" Not meaning to change the subject, but is your dad sick or something, Bella?" Willow was looking past me to my house.

" What do you mean?" I looked around and saw what she was talking about. Charlie **never **took a day off or took off early unless he was really sick - and I'm not talking about a trifling cold. He took his duties very seriously so why was his police cruiser here in the middle of the afternoon? "I should go," I said, knowing my face must be creased in concern.

" Bye," they all chorused, their apprehensive and curious faces looked back at me.

I closed the door and hurried into the house. It was open so I walked in and immediately went in the direction of the kitchen. I hesitated by the door as I heard voices inside. They sounded serious and they were deep in discussion about something. Among the voices I heard Renée, Charlie and was that someone on the phone?

I opened the door, trying to be as quiet as I could. I didn't want to interrupt the discussion until I knew what it was about. My pathetic try of eavesdropping didn't work as Charlie saw me open the door slightly.

" Come in, Bella," he asked and Renée looked up.

I was shocked when I saw Charlie and Renée's grave expressions on their faces.

" What's wrong? What happened?" I asked.

" I don't want her to come," Renée broke the silence; I figured she was talking to Charlie although she was looking at me as she said it. I guessed I was the 'her'.

" Renée, Rosalie wants her there. She needs some comfort after what she's been through and she wants her with us. I'm sure Bella doesn't want to be left behind and stay with people she hardly knows!"

" Yes, but I don't want her to get hurt as well," Renée argued. "Maybe she can come out when you catch who did this to her but I do not want Bella to be in the same town as a rapist! What if this isn't a one time thing? It's a small town, Charlie, and she's a pretty girl."

They were ignoring me.

" What's happened to Rosalie?" I interrupted, alarmed by talks of rapists.

Charlie ignored me. "Renée, Phoenix isn't exactly full of missionaries and peacemakers. It's worse than Forks! This is the first incident of this nature in 20 years, nearly! I'm sure the guilty party will be staying low anyways."

" I agree with Charlie," said a voice from the phone. I recognized Uncle Christopher's voice. "It's not fair to Bella. She's 17, not 7. I think she should be allowed to decide whether she wants to come with you two here or stay in Phoenix."

" Yes, let's ask Bella what she wants to do," Charlie agreed.

" Fine," Renée said grudgingly. "But you already know what she is going to say."

" Bella, this is going to say very cliché but are you sitting down?" asked Uncle Chris through the phone.

Charlie gestured to a chair and gave me the phone, taking it off speaker phone.

" We'll be in the other room," Charlie said and they left in the direction of the living room. "Need to look up flights."

" Hello, Uncle."

" Bella," he said my name and I could hear the stress he was under in that one word. I could hear some voices in the background and some beeping.

" Where are you?"

" The hospital in Forks," he said tonelessly. "I'm going to give you over to Rosalie. She woke up a couple of hours ago and she wanted to be the one to tell you, no one else."

" What's wrong with Rosalie? Why is she in hospital?" I was seriously worried. Why was everyone being so secretive? Why were my parents going off to Forks? Why was this all happening and what on earth had happened to Rosalie?

" You will find out," he said ominously.

" Hello?"

" Rosalie?"

" It's me." I could hear the weariness in her voice. "Father says you are wondering what's happened."

" Are you okay?" I asked cautiously. She really didn't sound good. "Did you have a fight with Emmett?"

Emmett was her boyfriend, and had been for ages. Unfortunately, I hadn't met him yet but every time we talked, the topic would always wander back to Rosalie's Emmett and how much she loved him and how **great **he was. I never told her but secretly I wasn't too sure of him. What guy could deserve Rosalie?

I always thought that there must be something wrong with him. Maybe I was just bitter that there was someone Rosalie loved better, someone who was always there for her when I wasn't From what she had told me, he was very into sports and Rosalie always went on about how strong he was… I don't know, maybe I was just determined to think the worst of him.

" No," she sounded shocked that I could even consider that she was in hospital and in such low shape because of Emmett. "God, no! He has been so great through all this!"

"Through all what? Please, Rose. " I was confused and worried and upset.

" Two nights ago, I was going to see a film with friends," she launched into her story. "An-and I was running late. So I took a shortcut but there was a guy following me. I don't know who but he kn-knew m-me." She broke off and I could hear her taking deep breathes trying to calm herself down.

" What did he do?" I asked earnestly, although I already had a pretty good idea of where this was going. When her answer didn't come, I repeated, "Rosalie, what did he do to you?"

" Bella," her voice broke, as she tried to hold back tears. "He knew who I was. He _knew _me."

" Did you recognize him?"

" N-no but he **knew **me," Rosalie kept on repeating how the guy knew her.

" He hurt you, didn't he?" I asked her softly.

Silence.

" Rose?"

" He knew me, Bella."

" Shh," I comforted her. "He knew you, I get that. What did he do?"

" He called me by name, Bells. He recognized me," I could hear her sobbing. It hurt me to hear her sounding so vulnerable, so scared, and so hurt. "He knew me."

" Did he hit you?" I hesitated. I didn't know how to ask her what was in my mind.

" I was walking, and he called me by name," Rosalie sobbed. "He had probably been following me since I got into the car and drove to Port Angeles. That means then, he knows where I lived. He had planned this."

" Revenge, maybe?" I asked her.

" Revenge from what? I didn't do anything to anyone. What did I do to deserve what he did?"

I knew for sure that he had hurt her physically, but I guessed he hadn't stopped at that.

" He hurt you bad."

" Yes."

" Rosie, I'm coming with Renée and Charlie. Don't worry, I'll be there soon."

" I'm glad," she sighed. "I want you here. It's always better when you're with me."

I laughed, with no real humour in it. "Don't worry, by the end of the first day I'm there, you will be sick of me and begging Charlie to send me back home."

" You know that's not true," Rosalie said. She wasn't crying now but I could feel the effort it was taking her to sound so… carefree. She wasn't succeeding though.

**E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.**

**RPOV**

" Rosie?" Emmett asked plaintively after I just hung up the phone with Bella. He was lying beside me in the uncomfortable hospital bed.

" Emmett," I closed my eyes as he kissed my forehead. A single tear fell beneath my eyelashes but Emmett didn't acknowledge it. He always knew what to do.

I couldn't help but clench up as the feather light touch of contact with Emmett. Emmett winced slightly but his face quickly cleared to protect me. He didn't want me to feel anymore guilty.

" Chris says that the doctor told him you can come home tomorrow," Emmett said.

" That's good," I sighed. "Just one more night in this… bed, if you can even call it that. It's like solid rock!"

Emmett chuckled. "Only you," he shook his head in affection and soothingly stroked my hair. "My Rosie," he whispered.

My eyes started to droop after a little while of sitting in silence, him stroking my hair, my head curled up on his stomach.

" I will get whoever did this to you back," he whispered - or at least I think that was what he said, as I drifted off. I didn't have a good dream - dreams of _that _night and Emmett murdered by _him_ .

**?POV**

It was so easy. Too easy, really.

I had thought it would be harder - that Rosalie would struggle harder. I thought it would be hard to get her darling Emmett away from her. He was always around her at school.

When my Rosalie was hit on by the stupid, hormonal boys at school, she always acted so hard. So cold. An ice queen. She made everyone think she was invincible – nobody could shatter her. Nothing could frighten her.

One grab to the wrist and she was mine. She fought – oh yes, she fought – but it did no good. She was half paralyzed with fear. She knew what was going to happen and she was too frightened to fight me properly. It was like taking candy from a baby. My Rosalie was mine and she knew it. It was the one fight she could not win.

The town is abuzz with the news – a crime like this hasn't happened in about twenty years. Mothers and fathers are afraid for their daughters (like I would ever want anyone but my Rosalie). Rosalie's peers are shocked – they want justice. Rosalie's family have yet to make any appearance in public since it happened. They spend most of their time in the hospital with Rosalie, at home or trying to find out if the police have any leads to how done it.

They will never know.

Everyone's first thought was that it was some tourist – a new person to the community. Just a random attack. But then details of the attack came to the surface – the attacker knew Rosalie. That he was most likely someone who went to Forks High, from what he had told Rosie.

The police have no idea – of that, I am certain and are grasping at straws. They are under enormous pressure from the good people of Forks who are terrified that it will happen again. They want the 'monster' who did this to 'poor dear Rosalie'.

I am no monster.

_Rosalie is mine. _

The town is divided on whether this is just a one time crime or not. They want to know if they are dealing with a serial rapist or a passion crime. The town has been shook to the core by the announcement that whoever done this to her, was local and was a student at Forks High. This wasn't some 30-something year old alcoholic pervert with a mental issue who just moved to the area, this was a _student_. As Forks High mainly caters for pupils whose parents, grandparents and great-grandparents (and so forth) have lived in Forks all their life, the guilty party is probably going to be from a respectable family with ancestors as far back as the early 1900s living in this same small town or in this area.

The chances are, the people fear, is that they will know the culprit. Maybe even be friends with him. This 'rapist'.

I am **not** a rapist. What I did with my Rose was nothing but the special union between the two sexes. We made love. She may act like she hated it, but I know she loves me. She just hasn't realized yet. I may have forced her into the actual act but once it happened, I know she felt what I felt. Two people becoming one. Her muffled screams of pain were just a disguised cry of ecstasy. She was embarrassed that it took her so long to realize her true feelings.

Now, all I have to do is find a good target to frame what happened on, and then move on to the next part of the plan.

The police are interviewing a lot of Rosalie's friends and teachers. They are trying to put together a list of possible males that could have been the 'rapist' – people who held a grudge against her and people who liked her romantically. From what I've heard, her parents won't let the police question her about that night until she is better and is discharged from hospital. There are all sorts of rumours circulating about what happened – the majority nowhere near fact.

I just have to wait until it all blows over... just a few more weeks and I continue on with my plan but I am not going to completely abandon her for the next few weeks – I will stay in the dark and watch. She will never know I'm here.

Silent as a mouse.

It is not over, My Beautiful Rose. In fact, it hasn't even begun.

* * *

**Very short but chapters will get longer as we go on. So what do you think so far? Isn't the rapist a psycho! **

**I did a bit of it in the rapist's POV to establish that this guy is pretty crazy and that he DOES know Rosalie well and from school.**

**And can I just say, I love the lyrcis I used at the start - it can apply to so many different characters in this chapter and be interpretated in different ways!**

**Please review about what you think! XD Reviews = Faster Updates. ;)**

**Love  
Smile! Edward Luvs Yhoo  
xXx**


	3. Chapter Two : Welcome Home, Rosalie!

**Disclaimer :- I do not own Twilight.**

**Thanks for the reviews : ) I'm glad everyone liked rapist's POV last chapter. He won't come up much though there will be brief interludes. Also sorry it took so long :) **

* * *

_Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you_  
**_Coldplay - Fix You_**

**I'm NOT A Monster!  
Chapter 2  
BPOV**

" Uncle Christopher!" I walked towards him, following my parents as we walked through the small Port Angeles airport. I hugged him, trying to disguise my shock at his appearance.

He looked like he had aged 10 years since last month when he had visited Phoenix for business. His baby blue eyes looked paler than usual and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. His smile lines looked more like wrinkles. His blond hair that usually lay tucked tidily behind his ears was sticking up everywhere – and not in a cute way. Christopher was usually spotless and always looked like he wouldn't stand out in a court room but today... he looked like a slacker – albeit a very good looking slacker. What happened to Rosalie had struck him really hard. It pained me, thinking what the rest of our family was going to be like.

Aunt Gabrielle was your typical wealthy housewife and many would say that she was cold. To a casual onlooker, it would seem that Rosalie and her mum weren't really close. Some might say that she spoiled Rosalie with money and material possessions instead of maternal love. They were wrong. Rosalie and Gabrielle were actually very close. It killed Gabrielle when her daughter wasn't happy. If that meant spending a fortune on clothes and electronic toys, then she was happy to spend it. It wasn't like they didn't have the money anyways. Their relationship was very complicated in that way. They relied heavily on each other but not in an obvious way. Neither of them was happy unless the other was.

It was obvious that she would be cut up about it. I just hoped that Gabrielle doesn't show her grief too visibly – particularly to Rosalie. Rosalie has enough on her plate without worrying over how her mother is suffering from it. I know Rosalie and she is no doubt was already worrying about disappointing her parents by this.

Jasper, her twin brother and my other cousin, was no doubt going to be suffering in silence. Rosalie and Jasper are very close despite common belief among their peers. From what I heard from Jasper and Rosalie, they belong to two very different cliques in their high school and everyone thinks that they don't get along at all. They laugh at all the rumours about how much they hate each other – when they are not fighting. They have a stormy relationship and constantly bitter over trivial matters. To tell you the truth, they do it because they like it. They are so different and they love arguing with each other.

Rosalie is the more outgoing, optimistic, sunny twin, even if at times she can be judgmental and hypocritical. She likes attention and up to date things. For example, she loves fast cars and the newest clothes she can find. She loves trying out new styles. On the other hand Jasper is more moody and complicated. He thinks more and weighs decisions. Unlike Rosalie who is known for acting first before thinking it through, he tends to carefully think tough decisions through. In that way he is more like me. He is more old-fashioned and definitely more studious. He likes history, playing guitar and hangs out with a small group of close friends. Rosalie and Jasper are like Yin and Yang; Jasper Yin and Rosalie Yang.

Knowing Jasper's disposition he was probably blaming himself. He has always wanted to help people, if anyone is in pain of any kind; he is desperate to help them in any small way. I remember a time when we were only about six years old and we were in Renée's car to go shopping. We were stuck in a traffic jam and we had been sitting in the same spot for literally ten minutes. Jasper noticed a man about 40 sitting outside a café. He had a drink in his hand but he was not drinking it. He looked like he was in some kind of emotional pain and he was staring broodingly into his drink. Jasper noticed this and tapped Renée on the shoulder.

" Why is that man so sad?" he had asked.

Renée looked over to where Jasper was pointing. Her face softened. "That's Mr. Beckett. His wife died a couple of months ago and he hasn't really been himself since then."

" I don't like seeing him so sad," Jasper pouted. "I want him to be happy." Renée had smiled at him – touched by his innocent view. Jasper stretched out his arm from his booster chair and waved at Mr. Beckett. Mr. Beckett noticed him and looked amused. He waved back slightly after putting down his drink and smiled slightly.

In that moment, Jasper was truly happy to help put a smile on someone's face. Even if it was just a small smile. It was cheesy but that moment has always stayed with me. It was just the epitome of Jazz.

We were staying in town until Charlie and Forks Police find out who done this to Rosalie, Renée says. It's not going to be an open-and-shut case – that's obvious – so she has enrolled me in school with Jasper and Rosalie. I think Uncle Christopher is relieved by this news about me being able to support Rosalie in school when he can't. Obviously, there are a lot of rumours floating about – a few of them, it is apparent, that they are not much in favour of Rosalie. I have heard some of these rumours from Jasper when I emailed him to see if he was okay. He was angry about some of the things being said. He didn't really talk about his feelings except for that.

Apparently, Rosalie deserves what was done to her. Why? Because she is beautiful and popular. Because she wears her heart on her sleeve and isn't afraid of airing her opinions – not caring whether her opinion is shared by the majority or not.

That opinion is the one that angers me the most – she deserved what she got. No one deserves to be raped. People are so judgmental. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted and raped – no matter whatever your reputation or however unpleasant you may be. The craziest thing is, Rosalie is actually very nice and has one of the most spotless reputations in her clique – the most scandalous gossip I have ever heard from Rosalie and Jasper about a rumor concerning her is that she had sex with Emmett - her long-term boyfriend of a year, may I add (not just some casual friend that she knows almost nothing about) – at one house-party. It's not even true! That rumor is so immature.

Others say that Rosalie wasn't raped – she is just saying that because Emmett found out about her cheating with some guy so she told people she was raped. Others say she had a STD or she got pregnant and that's why she told people she was raped – because she gave the STD to Emmett and she was supposed to be a virgin. Or she and Emmett said that she was raped because Rose was pregnant and they didn't want their parents to know they were sexually active. Each rumor was more unlikely than the last.

It just angered me that people could be so cruel. They have no idea how those rumors hurt people.

Uncle Christopher led us to his Mercedes. We put our suitcases in the trunk and got in. Charlie was in the passenger seat, next to Uncle Chris, while Renée and I were in the backseat.

"Rosalie is getting discharged later on today. Gabrielle was supposed to come with me to the airport to welcome you but she is so busy trying to get the house ready for Rosalie coming home and the guest bedrooms ready for you guys."

" Thanks, Chris," Renée leaned over the seat and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "How is she?" she asked softly.

" Fine," he said. "She's getting better but she is very anxious and uptight when we go near her. It's hard for Emmett but he's a good kid. He loves her and he hasn't left the hospital yet! Paige – Emmett's mother, that is – is getting quite concerned about Emmett."

" When will I get to see her?" I asked.

Christopher's tired gaze met my eyes. "Whenever you feel ready. I must warn you, however – Rosalie has changed drastically over the last few days."

" Can I go today?"

Uncle Christopher looked relieved at my suggestion. I realised that when he said "Whenever you feel ready", he was actually hoping that I would want to go as soon as possible. "Well, I was going to leave you's off at home and then pick up Rosalie but you can come with me to the hospital, if you'd like?"

" Thanks," I smiled. "That sounds good."

After leaving Renée and Charlie at their house, I moved into the front passenger seat and we made our way to the hospital. We didn't talk – there wasn't anything to say, really. _It's good to see you?_ No, that was inappropriate to say in light of the situation. Of course, I was happy to see them but I was worried that it would sound... patronizing.

I had missed Rosalie and Jasper so much since the last time I saw them but I wished this meeting came from more mellow circumstances. Yet I couldn't help but get a little excited about seeing my favourite cousins again. I wanted to hear all the gossip about the latest in Rosalie's life. I wanted to hear Jasper's latest compositions on the guitar. I wanted to be part of their lives again.

I know I had just arrived but I wished that I could never leave. I couldn't wait until Rosalie, Jasper and I had a change to bond again and we go right back to the threesome we were when we were younger, before Rose met her friends, Emmett, Alice and Tanya. When it was just the three of us.

When I talked to Rosalie on the phone, she always said that I will love Emmett, Alice and Tanya. It's always "Emmett this" and "Alice that", but I can't help but think that they can't live up to what Rosalie tells me. Maybe it's just me being pessimistic or jealous, but the way Rosalie talks about them... they just seem too good to be true. The _perfect_ boyfriend and the _perfect_ best friend.

I hope that they are as perfect as Rosalie says, but I am just a little cynical – especially from what Jasper has told me about the crowd she hangs out with.

As we passed by a small coffee shop, I saw _him_. A Greek God. He was a flash of bed head, bronze hair. He was heading into the coffee shop with a girl. Taken. I was not surprised – he was too gorgeous to not have a girlfriend.

I reprimanded myself for being so easily diverted – even if he was perfection. Well, from what I saw. I hoped he had a hideous personality – it just wouldn't be fair if he was beautiful inside and out. I knew if he was a good person, I wouldn't be able to resist him and I might even fall for him. At least if he was mean, I could despise him. Concentrate on Rosalie. That's what I came here to do – help Rosalie and find whoever done this to her, not lust over hot guys.

I forced him out of my mind and turned to Uncle Chris to distract myself. "So..." I searched for something to say. "Have you read any good books recently?" I asked feebly.

**E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.**

When we got to the hospital, Uncle Chris led me to a private room instead of a ward. "Go on in and get reacquainted. I have to sign some paperwork."

I knocked before I went in. Rosalie's back was to me as she hugged a girl. The girl was really small, especially compared to Rosalie who is 5'9. From what I could see of her she had short, black, spiky, hair and she was really pale. I couldn't see her face.

At the sound of the knock and the door opening, they turned around. I realized that the black-haired girl must be Alice. I was shocked at how Rosalie looked. She looked ... ill and withdrawn. Her gorgeous hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and it looked like she hadn't washed her hair in days. She had no makeup on and her eyes were puffy and a little red. There were very dark circles under her eyes and all she was wearing were some sweats and a massive men's shirt – no doubt Emmett's. Most of all, she looked sad and in pain. Not physical pain but some kind of severe mental pain. You could see it in her body language and the expressions on her face. Even with all this, you couldn't help but notice how pretty she was.

Renée had taught me all about body language when she was going through one of her phases, and even the way Rosalie was standing pointed towards grief.

" Bella!" Rosalie greeted me and hugged me tightly. When she had saw me, her face rearranged itself into a genuine smile – for one split second, she was happy, before she was brought back to earth by the reasons for my visit. "I've missed you so much," she sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her. I was startled by her emotional outburst but I wasn't surprised by it. Her whole sheltered, perfect world had collapsed around her and she was left to pick up the pieces.

" I'm so sorry I wasn't there..." I started.

Rosalie pulled away and looked me earnestly in the eyes. "I have already got this dozens of times so please don't do it as well," she pleaded. She closed her eyes for a second. "I just want people to stop tiptoeing around me and apologising for what happened. They shouldn't have to apologise for..." she trailed off, no doubt unwilling to talk about the man who had done this to her.

I smiled. "Rose, we're going to get through this. _Together_. I want to help you – you know you can talk to me about _anything_. You, me, Alice, Emmett, Tanya, Aunt Gabrielle, Uncle Chris, my mom, my dad... We are all going to get through this."

" You always know what to say," Rosalie said with a soft smile on her face.

I put my hand on her shoulder comfortingly and joked, "Well, I got that from my amazing cousin."

I heard a tinkling chuckle from the middle of the room – Alice, presumably.

" Hello," I smiled at her. "You must be Alice. I have heard loads about you from Rosalie!"

" Ditto," she laughed. "I know we are going to be best friends," she beamed at me. I noticed her eyes were a little red as well but that didn't disguise how beautiful Alice was.

This trip was going to be a serious blow to my self-esteem.

" I didn't know you were coming today," Rosalie commented.

" Well, Uncle Chris thought it would be a nice surprise for you," I told her. "Are you finished packing? Are you ready to go home?"

" Yes, I just finished before Alice visited. Thank God, I don't have to sleep on a hospital bed one more night," she sighed. "Well, you should know, Bella," she added slyly.

I laughed before picking up her jacket sitting on the bed and playfully whacking her with it.

Alice decided to join in and got a pillow and whacked me around the head. I laughed again and moved to whack her. Of course with my balance, I tripped over the sleeve of the jacket and flew into the hospital bed.

" Argh!" I was laughing even though my head seriously hurt. "Those hospital beds are as hard as rock!"

" Are you okay?" asked Rosalie, concerned as she frantically checked me for any injuries.

" Rosalie, I'm fine," I laughed it off. "You know me – this shouldn't come as a surprise that within five minutes of me seeing you, I trip."

" I see that what Rosalie has told me about your coordination is true. I thought she was exaggerating," she said amusedly. "Sorry for causing you to trip."

"Don't worry about it, it's my fault," I smiled at her. "Not yours."

The door opened again and Uncle Christopher came in with a blond man in a doctors' coat. Even the doctor was gorgeous. Must be something in the water.

Seriously, it's not fair that one tiny town on the Olympic Coast is stacked with the most beautiful people I have ever seen, whereas back home in Phoenix – a big city – has hormonal teenage boys who let's just say aren't the brightest people and are nowhere near as good-looking as the people in Forks.

" Dad," Alice greeted.

" Alice," said the doctor. "I should have known you would be in here," he smiled indulgently.

Rosalie whispered to me helpfully. "The doctor is Alice's dad – Dr. Cullen." Wow, Dr. Cullen definitely looked way too young to have a 17 year old daughter.

" Thanks," I whispered back.

" Are you happy to go home? Are you feeling okay?" Dr. Cullen asked Rosalie kindly.

" Yeah, thanks for everything, Carlisle," she gave him a little smile.

" And you must be Bella," he turned to me. "I've heard so much about you."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

" You'll probably get sick to death of her this time next month," Rosalie teased. "She's very clumsy and always has to go to accident and emergency because of some injury or another."

I smiled to myself. At least she was up and joking. However, I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Rosalie could just be acting to make her friends and family worry less about her. She was prone to doing that. I decided to keep a good eye on her and would not leave her alone again, in case whoever done this to her, went after her again for round two.

Uncle Chris smiled his first real smile since I had first seen him this morning in the airport.

**E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.**

We arrived back at their house – which was more like a mansion – where a banner reading, "Welcome back, Rosalie!" greeted us on turning into the driveway.

" I told her not to do this," Uncle Chris muttered.

I looked at Rosalie to see her reaction. She was looking grimly out the window, her hands clenched tightly.

" Is there any way that we can avoid everyone so that Rosalie can get freshened up?" Alice asked, noticing it. Rosalie gripped her hand in gratitude. I couldn't help but feel _I_ should be the one to do that.

" Go through the patio door and up the back stairs," he said. "Gabby and everyone will be expecting us from going through the front door and they will be in the dining room, no doubt. Come down when you're ready," he said, stopping the car away from the front door so the three of us could go around the back and go through the patio door.

We got out and he pulled the car into the double garage. We hurried off to the back – Alice and me holding Rosalie's hands while looking at the massive house to see if they had spotted us. They hadn't. Or at least, from what we could see.

Uncle Chris was right, it seemed. As we were climbing the back stairs, we could hear chattering coming from the dining room and the larger living room. "Kill me now," Rosalie murmured. I tightened my grip on her hand reassuringly.

When we got inside Rosalie's enormous bedroom – and I mean, _enormous_ –, Alice took charge. She headed straight for the massive walk-in wardrobe to find something suitable for Rosalie to wear.

" Alice," I said tentatively. "I'm sure everyone downstairs is not going to be worried what she's wearing. Don't you think they'd be more concerned about, well, how she's coping?"

" I'm not doing this for them, I'm doing this for Rosalie," Alice poked her head outside the wardrobe door.

I looked at Rosalie who shrugged. "Forgive me for being shallow but I don't want people to think I look terrible. I don't want _him_ to know what he put me through."

" You're not shallow," I told her. "I understand and I would probably feel exactly the same if I was you but I just thought ... since you look so tired..."

" I think I've found the perfect outfit," Alice called from the wardrobe and came into the room with a knee length - but not too formal - dress. It was a gorgeous red. She also pulled out a long-sleeved black jacket to go with it. "You might get a little hot with the jacket but it hides all your cuts and bruises and it will look cute with the jacket..."

" Thanks, it's perfect," Rosalie looked happy about what she was going to wear and reached for it before moving towards the bathroom – presumably to get changed.

" Isn't it a little formal for a party like this?" I asked hesitantly.

" Definitely not. It's just right," Rosalie replied, closing the door.

" Yeah, you'll soon see that the parties are a lot more formal than you might be used to," Alice helpfully explained. "Well, not parties in our age group. The group that our families hang out with host all kinds of dinner parties and they are all a lot more formal than it would be for ones in cities and whatnot. Emmett says that they're more formal because it gives our moms something to do!" she laughed.

" I know Aunt Gabrielle doesn't work but do none of the other moms work?" I asked curiously. It seemed, Forks was a lot different from Phoenix.

" Oh no," she exclaimed. "A lot of moms work here in Forks – it's not like a 18 th Century England," she chuckled. "It's just, well, our parents ... well, we're... we're kind of wealthy so our moms don't work. They... well, I don't really know what they do to be honest," she laughed.

_Wow, it must be like living in a Desperate Housewives episode. _

Alice guffawed and I realized, with a blush, that I must have said that out loud.

" Now, we have to find you something. Did you bring any nice dresses with you?" Alice asked

" Umm... no, sorry," I said awkwardly.

" That's ok," she beamed. "Now we can go shopping and I can recreate a whole new wardrobe for you."

" Should I be scared?" I asked, but only half-joking.

" No, of course not. It will be so much fun," she clapped and jumped up and down. "It would be a great bonding experience as well, and it could be a great way to distract Rosalie from... recent events," I saw tears in her eyes but before I could comfort her, she went into the wardrobe. "I'll just find something in here – everything will probably be too long and too loose but I will find something."

Five minutes later and Alice was still in the wardrobe. I peeked around the door to see Alice staring at a dark blue dress absentmindedly. She looked like she was in pain. I didn't want to disturb her and at that moment, I realized how much the rape had affected a lot more people than Rosalie, me, and our families. I mean, I had known that obviously Alice and Emmett were going through the same thing as me, Jasper, Uncle Christopher, Aunt Gabrielle, Renée and Charlie, but at the same time I hadn't realized how much an impact.

I wanted to comfort her and talk to her but I was afraid of my offer being rejected. I didn't know her well enough to try to console her and be her friend.

I backed off quietly and turned to the bathroom door. I knocked the door. "Rosalie," I called softly. I heard low sobs from inside. She didn't answer. My instinct told me to go inside and help her through the pain of what had happened but I knew that she needed time alone. She had hardly been left alone since the incident with all the visitors, family, doctors, nurses, etc. She needed some time to recover in private. When you were on your own, you didn't have to disguise your true feelings. You didn't have to pretend you were fine. You could just be yourself and not worry what others thought of your breakdown.

I sat outside the door, listening to her cries. I was so tempted to go in – do something but I knew she needed this. I just felt so helpless.

I needed to let her know I was out here though. "Rosalie," I said softly through the door. "I will always be here for you, no matter what. All of us."

The door clicked open a few seconds later. Rosalie was in her red dress and she looked stunning, despite her stuffy eyes. "Can you help me with my makeup?" she avoided looking me in the eye. She was embarrassed to be caught crying. She didn't like to show people her weaknesses.

I pretended not to notice her bloodshot eyes and said cheerily, "I'm not sure if you would want _me_ to do your makeup. I would probably make a big mess! Maybe we should find Alice instead." She smiled half-heartedly – but at least it was sort-of genuine and I knew she was relieved that I hadn't asked her if she was okay. She didn't need that and I already knew the answer.

" Bella," I heard Alice's muffled voice. "I've found the perfect outfit!" She walked into Rosalie's bedroom just as we were about to go and search for her in Rosalie's enormous wardrobe. She was holding a light blue strapless dress that was a little short for my taste, but like Rosalie's wasn't too formal. Dressy enough for an afternoon party but not too casual. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but I didn't think I could pull it off. Rosalie could but Bella? No, I didn't think so.

" It's gorgeous," I said hesitantly.

She saw my uncertainty. "Do you not like it?" she pouted.

" I do! It's not that," I said quickly, not wanting to hurt her feelings. I voiced my fears.

" Bella!" she looked shocked. "Believe me – you will look stunning in this. Trust me."

I did. Trust her, that is. While Alice was putting Rosalie's makeup on, I looked at my reflection. This was my 'introduction' to Fork's society, or so Alice joked. Forks here was so different to my life in Phoenix – Forks was very old-fashioned compared to the city. The blue dress made my breasts look bigger and although it was a little short, I knew it could have been a LOT shorter. It was Rosalie's and as she had longer legs and bigger breasts, it would probably look more like a top than a dress.

" You look so nice in it," Rosalie complimented.

" Doesn't she?" Alice agreed. She was changed now into her own dress. It was blue and strapless, like mine, but hers was darker and had a white circular pattern on hers. There was a bow a few centimeters down from where her breasts were and at the bottom, black translucent material made it look more longer than it would have been without. Like mine and Rosalie's, it wasn't that formal and it was gorgeous. **(all pictures of dresses on profile)**

" Is that one of Rosalie's?" I asked, surprised. It fitted Alice perfectly and as she was nearly a whole foot shorter than Rosalie, you would have thought it would be way longer.

" Oh no," she laughed. "If it were Rosalie's it would reach the floor on me! I leave a few clothes here so when I stay over, I'm ready for anything."

Rosalie looked me up and down. "Okay all we have to do is curl Bella's hair and put some mascara on and we're good to go down."

I groaned. "Haven't we been up here for ages? Don't you think people are going to be wondering where we are?"

" It's only been half a hour since we got back and it won't take that long to curl your hair. I remember the last time we curled it and it only took 5 minutes! People would be _surprised_ if we went down so early," Rosalie replied.

Alice went over to Rosalie's drawers and opened the second one. She took out some pink GHD straightener and motioned to me to come over so she could curl my hair. While Alice straightened and then curled my hair, Rosalie put some makeup on me. "You look beautiful," she smiled.

I smiled back at her. "So do you," I said truthfully. She looked as flawless as ever. No more puffy eyes and she was in her trademark colour. Then again, even when she had just been crying, she was still really pretty.

Ten minutes later, we were ready to go to the "Lions' Den", as Rosalie called it. She gripped both our hands tightly as she prepared herself for the attention she would grab upon entering the room. Everyone would be saying, "I'm so sorry" and "Do the police know who it is?" and all that. Some people downstairs wouldn't know Rosalie that well and were just coming to find out the latest gossip about the whole episode.

We opened the door of the dining room. It was massive, just like the rest of the house. It was very tastefully decorated. The walls were painted a cream colour which made the room look even more bigger and there were a few big windows looking out over the east part of the garden (we had gone down the west part of the garden to the patio door). The long mahogany table ran down the center of the room and could fit at least 25 people from the look of it. Underneath the table was a red rug that ran the length of the table. The room was packed with people and I could not see anyone I knew. That wasn't surprising though.

The only people I knew in Forks were Uncle Chris, Aunt Gabrielle, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and my parents. I saw some people our age crowded in a big circle in the corner. No one had noticed yet that we had come in as the sound of people talking to each other and the clanging of glasses drowned out the sound of the door opening and closing.

It was not long however until a very tall good-looking guy around our age walked up to Rosalie with a tentative smile on his face and hugged her lightly. "Emmett," Rosalie breathed with a happy sigh.

" Rose," he answered and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

So this was Emmett, Rosalie's 'soul mate', as she had once said on one of our numerous chats on the phone. She was right when she said he was tall – he must have been about 6'5! His button-down shirt seemed to emphasize his bulging biceps but at the same time he didn't look over-muscled. He was just right although he was a little too athletic for my taste. I preferred guys more toned than muscle-y. He was gorgeous though – his brown curls really suited him and I knew just from looking at him, he liked to have a laugh. Hopefully he was good enough for Rose.

Alice and I kept a low profile while the two of them were saying hello and Emmett was asking how she was and all that. I didn't really listen in because I was too preoccupied with the group in the corner. Alice was pointing out who everyone was.

" That's Tanya," she gestured towards a really pretty strawberry blond girl in the middle of the circle talking to two tall guys.

" Rosalie has told me about her – she's one of Rosalie's best friends, right?"

" Yeah, basically it's me, Rosalie and Tanya band together. Emmett as well when we're together but his ' _best friends_ ' are James and Jacob."

" What do you mean by ' _best friends'_ ?" I said, emphasizing it like she did.

" Well to be honest, Rosalie, Tanya and I don't like James because he really isn't that nice to say the least. When Rosalie asked him why he's such good friends with James – you must understand that they are polar opposites – he said something along the lines of he's known James forever and their parents are great friends, and he said some bull about James just going through a 'phase' and he would grow out of it. Rosalie tolerates him for Emmett's sake but she really doesn't like James."

" And Jacob?"

" He's a milder version of James. They're what you would call the womanizers of the school, but we see some potential in him. We think that he just acts like this to fit in. We don't really blame him for the way he's like though – he got his heart broken by some girl and he hasn't been the same since then. He won't admit it though."

I didn't like the sound of the crowd Emmett hung around with. Seeing my expression, she hastened to say, "But don't worry, Emmett is nothing like that. I've known him since he was a baby – my mom and his mom are best friends. Any girl would be lucky to have him."

" And the others?"

" Well, Tanya is talking to Mike and Tyler – they are two of the most annoying guys I know but they can be alright. Mike is the smaller one with the pale blond hair. And Tyler is the one with the brown hair and a tan. They don't really like Emmett," she giggled. "Both of them liked Rosalie. It was kinda cute how they actually thought they had a chance with her. Mike's got a girlfriend now – Jessica. That's the girl shamelessly flirting with James. The tall guy with the blond cropped hair."

" James isn't that good looking," I commented. "I mean, for a player. He's pretty average looking to be honest."

" Yeah, I know. It's his charm you have to look out for. He's got a talent for 'catching' girls. It's almost like a lion hunting its prey. I'll show you him in full on tracking mode sometime. It's actually kind of hilarious but you can't help but feel sorry for the girl."

" So which one is your boyfriend?" I asked her teasingly.

" I don't have one – no one really does it for me," she told me but I saw her eyes wander to another corner of the room and rest on Jasper, who had just appeared through a bunch of 40 year old women and made his way towards us. _She liked Jasper._

More than liked him, by the way she looked at him.

I decided then – if there was anything I was going to accomplish while I was here, I would play matchmaker between Jasper and Alice.

Before Jasper reached us, I asked one more question, "And who are the other girls – and Jacob, is he there?"

" Jacob is the tallest, dark skinned boy flirting with the blond girl and the red haired girl. The blond girl is Lauren – a girl who thinks better of herself than she should. She fancies herself quite the catch. The red haired girl is Victoria. Her and James have what you would call an _open_ relationship. Victoria is just as bad as James although Rosalie and I suspect that she likes James more than he does her. She would do anything for him but that doesn't stop her from getting together with her boytoy, Riley."

" That is screwed up," I said distastefully.

" What can I say?"

" Bella!" greeted Jasper and wrapped me up in a hug.

I laughed gleefully. "I haven't seen you in ages!" I exclaimed. He laughed with me.

" I am so glad you are here," he said honestly. "You look nice. I'm surprised the three of you came down so quick. I would have thought with Alice here, you would be in there for a good hour or two," he teased, giving Alice a dazzling smile. I knew then that Alice's feelings for Jasper were reciprocated. Jasper wasn't at ease with most people – only people he was close to. He was easy with Alice. Well, sort of. He was rather nervous. Not only that but the way he looked at her betrayed his feelings.

" So how have you been?" I asked him, pretending to ignore the looks the two were giving each other although I doubt they knew or even recognized it. Just knowing Alice a day, I knew that if she thought Jasper returned her feelings, she would stop at nothing to get together with Jasper.

" Crap." he was still staring at Alice. "I don't think you're surprised by that though." He forced his eyes to meet mine. "You?"

" Same," I admitted.

" How is she?" he gestured to Rosalie.

" She's doing very well, considering. She's so strong," I commented admirably.

" That's our Rose," Jasper murmured and the three of us stared at Rosalie. Emmett was obviously telling Rosalie a joke or saying something funny if her giggles were anything to go by.

" Jazz," Rosalie noticed us. "Emmett was just telling me about what Miss Spark is wearing."

He winced. "It is rather... colourful."

" How did she even get invited?" Alice snorted.

" She sweet-talked old Mr. Crowley into having her as a guest."

" She's nearly as bad as Lauren," Alice sniffed in disapproval.

" No, she's worse," Jasper disagreed. "Lauren is young and will probably grow out of it but Miss Spark is a 40 year old woman."

Suddenly the room went quiet – people had started to notice Rosalie and everyone was turned to look at her.

" Rosalie, dear," Gabrielle emerged from the entire group in a light blue dress suit and rushed to hug her daughter. "Do you like the party?"

Rosalie stiffened a little and narrowed her eyes. "Of course," she said sarcastically.

Aunt Gabrielle went white and looked abashed. "I thought..." she trailed off.

Emmett put his hand on Rose's shoulder. "Rose."

I could see the realization set in, in her eyes of how she was hurting Gabrielle by saying what she did. "Sorry, mom," she apologized. "I'm just having a bad day... or a bad week."

" It's okay," Gabrielle smiled slightly. "I just thought... that you would like to have a party to get everything that has happened off your mind. You could just have a party and have fun with your friends."

" It's a good idea. Really," she thanked Gabrielle. "It's just probably not the best thing to cite the reason for this party for me coming back home. You know no one is going to let me forget what happened."

" So who is this?" asked the guy that I know knew as James, gesturing towards me. He, Jacob, Mike, and Tyler were crowded around Alice obviously wanting to know the new addition. The whole group had merged with ours as soon as they noticed us. Rosalie was talking to her mom.

" She's Rosalie's cousin, Bella. She's staying here for a while. She's so nice," Alice said with a false smile on her face to mask her distaste of him. I blushed at the compliment.

" She's hot," leered Jacob. I went redder.

" Jacob, don't even think about it," Alice warned him in a threatening voice.

He put his arms up, surrendering to Alice. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said innocently.

" You know damn well what I'm talking about and all I'm saying is, don't," she threatened darkly.

" Alice, chill. Have a period," scoffed James nastily. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper stiffen and glare at James for his comment.

Alice stood tall. "Hey, I'm not the one who feels the need to get into every girls' pants. You know, I heard a rumor that you're a bit lacking down there..." She gestured to his crotch and snickered.

Everyone laughed except James. "I think you just got pwned," I walked to where they were and stood defiantly beside Alice.

James glowered at me. I pretended not to notice. There was an awkward silence after the laughter died off. Everyone was looking at James a little nervously. "How long are you staying in Forks?" Mike asked, trying to break the tension.

" I don't really know yet," I admitted. "Hopefully I'll be here for at least a month."

" Great," muttered James. He hadn't warmed to me because I had stood up to him.

" I'm Mike," the blond haired boy said eagerly.

" I'm Tyler. Hey, Mike, why don't you go see what your _girlfriend_ wants," he stressed the word, girlfriend. I cringed.

Mike scowled but walked away to check on Jessica who was trying to gesture to our whole group to come over to where she and the girl I now knew as Lauren were whispering furiously. Obviously a new piece of gossip had come their way.

Uncle Christopher was clanging his champagne glass to get attention from the whole room. I had never saw anyone do that except from on television. The room was silent in mere seconds. "As you all know, my family and I haven't exactly been having the time of our lives." Some people laughed nervously. "This party here is to celebrate Rosalie coming back home and her getting better." He coughed. "I have never met someone as strong and stubborn as Rosalie. I suggested to her in hospital that maybe she would like to go stay with some relatives away from Forks but no, she said to me, 'Father, I just want to go home. I know there's going to be a lot of talk but I just want to be home'. I am so grateful that she is my daughter. And now, we have invited you all to share in Rosalie's bravery – her welcome home party. I know if I had went through half the things she did, I would be somewhere... far from here, at the very least. I would no doubt be moping about looking absolutely terrible. Rosalie here is ready to have fun and looking very beautiful. So now, in Rosalie's honor, we are going to have Rosalie's favorite dinner."

Great. No doubt I will have the fortune of sitting beside or near Jacob, Mike, James or Tyler and I knew for sure that would not end well for either of us.

I wouldn't be surprised if it ended with me killing whoever I got the pleasure of sitting beside.

Unfortunately, I was right. The whole 'gang' was seated together. On one side I had Rosalie but on the other, I had Tyler, much to _his_ pleasure.

As he prattled on about trivial things, I amused myself with imagining me killing him in various ways.

If he didn't shut up soon, I swear to God he wouldn't see tomorrow.

He was so screwed.

**A/N – I know the dresses don't sound that nice and/or too formal but I'm not really good at describing dresses lol Think about a cocktail party where the 'younger generation' are all in dresses and buttondown shirts and trousers, and the 'older generation' in dressy suits (for women) and casual suits (for men). Lol I told you I'm not good at describing clothes. Do you know what I mean? I found some good matches of what I was imagining so go look on my profile if you want a clearer idea on what I mean. Lol : )**

**BTW – In case you don't realise, when everyone is saying that Charlie is a FBI agent – IT'S NOT TRUE! I'm just trying to portray the way high school is like and all the rumours surrounding life in high school. Most of the time the rumour is exaggerated or completely false. People love to cause a scandal and the idea of the FBI involved because Rosalie was raped just shows that to people in high school, it is their world. I think I've said before but Charlie is an important member of the police in Phoenix. I haven't decided what his exact position is yet. : )**

**So what do you think of this chapter? Please review, and tell me what you think so far! I love reviews more than Ross (from Friends) loves dinosaurs. ; ) And that's a lot. lmao**

**Love,  
Smile! Edward Luvs Yhoo : )  
xXx**


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